Mexico and mindfulness, corn and centeredness

“Nothing ever gets anywhere. The earth keeps turning round and gets nowhere. The moment is the only thing that counts.”

~Jean Cocteau, Professional Secrets, 1922

I just returned from Mexico after a week-long business trip. At the end of the trip, I had some profound insights that radiated through my consciousness like beams of sunlight filtering through a dense forest.

Being away from home always gives me a unique perspective…

Of course, going from the 30 degree Fahrenheit wintery weather of Seattle to the 77 degree balmy weather of Los Cabos was not all that difficult. The place I was staying was on the edge of the ocean, and one of the first things I did was to meditate on the rippling ocean waves, all moving harmoniously together, as if they were all laced together underneath the surface.

At once, I felt a sense of calmness. This feeling translated into a seamless, unobstructed movement of electric energy coursing through my body. In this moment, I wasn’t thinking about e-mails, or the presentation I’d have to give, or any expectations of me. I was connected to the purity of the moment.

I slept well, savored my vivid dreams, took long baths, and ate beautiful native food – corn tortillas with authentically-prepared refried beans (not the kind with all the lard!), fresh-squeezed papaya juice (now this is truly amazing – it was pulpy with nothing added and refreshingly, naturally sweet! Great for the digestion because of the papain content.), pungent sprigs of cilantro, chunky, home-made guacamole.

There is something so earthy about eating the food in Mexico. The corn products, which I normally don’t consume much of at home because of its genetic modification, took on a whole new feeling for me here– a sun-like brilliance. With every bite, I felt linked to the ancient civilizations of Mexico, sending my DNA dancing in the sun. My root chakra became anchored in this beautifully surreal place and my solar plexus was spiraled forth its sunny vibration.

The solitude was healing. The full moon was heavy with secrets and mystery, pouring them into the expanse of sea below.

How often do we get the opportunity to find ourselves locked within the peace of still moments, in the soothing grasp of nature? I felt blessed…

And, if the message about relaxation and connection weren’t apparent enough, on the way home from the airport, I happened upon a radio station that was featuring a speaker by the name of Eva Hoffman, who was talking about “Time” (http://www.kuow.org/program.php?current=LI). She was commenting on how she grew up in Europe in the era of “slow time” where people gathered around the kitchen table to talk in small circles, and how she now was confronted with the “fast time” the Western world now lives by. We have created technology to help us do many things at once, but ultimately, we are not benefiting from streamlining and multi-tasking. The reason why is because we are not giving ourselves adequate time to assimilate the knowledge we are taking in. She said that we expend more energy in our neural circuits to multi-task rather than saving on energy. And the more we do this, the less efficient we become. Now that’s a twist!

I would agree that we are sleeping, reflecting, thinking, and processing less. We can’t digest all the information we are bombarded with so we end up having gastric ulcers, esophageal reflux, indigestion, and abdominal bloating. We develop food allergies because our outer environment cannot align with that of our inner. Both are on different speeds.

As ancient medicine taught us, we need the yin together with the yang – the “be-ing” together with the “do-ing”, the reflection with the action, and without one, we remain unbalanced.

So it is with our relationship with eating.

In a hurry, eating is just another thing we have to do. It feels like a bother. Or just another function we have to partake in. And it could be that, or we can take it up a notch. We can multi-task in a unique way that is all about reflection intertwining with action, “being” in line with “doing” – with each meal, we can be aware of the lineage of the food, its roots, ripeness, and nourishment. And then we can be present with how our body responds to these gifts.

Food speaks an intimate dialogue with the human body. What do foods say to you? And how do you respond back? I thought about this as I was eating the corn, beans, and vegetables. The message I felt was one of harmony. That my inner self was connecting with the outer world – and it felt pleasantly satisfying. I know how easily I could snap out of balance if I wasn’t aware.

When we are in harmony with what cultural anthropologist, Angeles Arrien calls our “inner” and “outer” houses, we are connected. I see this as being in respectful relationship to our external environment, letting go of food allergies; to our food, receiving physical and spiritual nourishment; and to our sense of being present, shedding the clutter of multi-tasking and too much doing.

I thank the energy of Mexico, of its waters, sun, and food for this experience and I send you wishes of the brilliant sun to balance the dark days of winter.

Tip:
Become aware of how you feel when you are “not present” or when you are doing something without your full presence. Develop some quick strategies to help you sink into the sea of your being. Some examples include eating high-protein foods, taking a brisk walk, or enjoying a deep, belly breath.

Affirmations:
My aliveness is in the now.
Through solitude, I listen to the call of my inner voice.
The brilliance of life radiates through my center.

Food Focus:
Corn

It’s really amazing to me that the image of corn has become transformed in the Western world relative to its once revered lineage. Corn (Zea mays) is thought to be native to America, originating in Mexico and Central America. It was a staple food for ancient civilizations going back 7000 years and greatly honored as an icon of sustenance for Mayan, Incan, and Aztec cultures. Unfortunately, in our current society, it has been adulterated and woven into foods in the form of corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids – yikes! It pervades just about everything being eaten – from meat, dairy, and any sweetened, processed product (high fructose CORN syrup). In the movie, Food, Inc (http://www.foodincmovie.com/), it was stated that about 80% of the food in grocery stores is made from either soy or corn. And the corn used in these products is rather un-pure – it is in a form that does not resemble the ancient varieties. Most is genetically modified. I highly recommend watching the documentary called King Corn (http://www.kingcorn.net/). My recommendation would be to purchase ORGANIC corn at all costs!
It’s unfortunate that our corn supply has become tampered with and that it is no longer true to its roots. Despite this, if we stick to organic corn and buy different varieties, you can still tap into its nutritional qualities and benefits.

Even though we probably typically think of corn as yellow in color, it actually comes in darker color varieties such as red, pink, black, and blue. The nutritional content of the darker varieties tend to be high as they contain antioxidants called anthocyanins. Blue corn tortillas can have, on average, 20% more protein compared to white corn.

Corn also gets a bad reputation as being starchy and spiking the blood sugar, which it surely can. However, with proper food combining – such as complementing it with beans, guacamole, or vegetables, you can change its effect on your blood sugar. A corn tortilla and corn chips have a moderate effect on blood sugar with its glycemic index (GI) of 50 while polenta (cornmeal) has a greater effect with a GI of 70.

Ideas for corn-containing meals:

- Eat as a cold salad: combine corn kernels, cooked quinoa, diced tomatoes, diced green peppers, black beans, and cilantro.
- Try a cornmeal crust pizza – available at health food stores. Great if you are gluten-free!
- Try polenta medallions with tomato and mozzarella, sprinkled with fresh rosemary.

The Energy of Corn

Corn resonates with the solar plexus chakra since it carries the golden sunny energy of yellow as well as the countries it comes from. It provides starch (carbohydrate) which feeds the solar plexus chakra, or our ability to transform, digest, and exchange energy within and out from our being.